The present application teaches a system of carrying out a weight reduction program over the internet. More specifically, the present application teaches acquiring information about a dieting person, verifying the information, and using an expert system to analyze the information and determine a course of action for the weight reduction program.
One common organized weight reduction system requires a dieter to join a weight reduction program. Part of the weight reduction program includes counseling and analysis of the dieter""s progress by a counselor. The counselor analyzes the progress based on experience of how others have reacted to similar programs.
The dieter has access by telephone, and in person, to diet counselors. The diet counselors provide encouragement and analysis, as well as setting the dieter""s program. The counselor will recommend certain plans based on what works. In one weight reduction paradigm, the dieter may be obligated to buy certain meals, e.g., frozen meals or meal plans, from the weight reduction organizer. The counselor may also make up a personalized menu for each person, but again that is done by using experience.
However, the counselors often are minimally trained in recognizing the truly odd signs of medical distress during dieting. The counselors basically encourage the person to loose weight, and do that without consideration of many of the other factors that are important. Even when the user gets to see a doctor, the doctor spends only very little time looking at the user, and certainly not enough time to accurately assess their medical history.
In addition, the dieter must visit the clinic during specified hours. The dieter must obtain transport to the clinic, wait while at the clinic, and endure other burdens. This can be relatively inconvenient.
The present application teaches an Internet based weight reduction program. A medical and weight reduction xe2x80x9cexpert systemxe2x80x9d is used to provide information to interface with the dieter. This can be used to determine the proper course of action for the dieter. The system acquires information about the dieter, verifies the information, and uses the information to automatically determine a weight reduction program. The system also includes a virtual counselor that allows interface with the dieter.